Tie for mattresses, cushions, etc.



Nov. 8, 1932. A. D. PATCHEN 7 1,887,066

TIE FOR MATTRESSES, CUSHIONS, ETC

Filed Nov. 17, 1931 Swvmtoz I $14 0?. My MA flue map;

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Patented Nov. 8', 1932 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR D. PATCHEN,OF WATERBUBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO SCOVILL MANU- FACTURING COMPANY,OF WATEBBUBY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01 CON- NECTIC'U T TIE FOBHATTRESSES, CUSHIONS, ETC.

Application med November 17, 1931. Serial No. 575,575.

I This invention relates. to a mattress or cushion tie comprising aflexible connector and means for attaching a button to each of itsopposite ends, the means of attachment being such that at least one ofsaid buttons may be readily snapped over and into a secure holdingengagement with one end of said connector after it has been drawnthrough the mattress or cushion. The attaching means may be either ofthe permanent type, which can not be separated after the parts have oncebeen assembled without destroying the fastener, or it may be of theseparable type, comprising a stud and a socket which are capable ofbeing detached without destroying the fastener elements by theapplication of force greater than that which it is designed to withstandwithout separating.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred forms of theinvention Figure 1 is an illustration of a mattress tie embodying theinvention, parts being shown in section, the button at one end of theconnectin elementbeing attached and the other being etached.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the back element of one of the buttons.

Fig; 3 illustrates a needle adapted to draw the connectin elementthrough a fabric structure, wit% a connecting element and buttonattached thereto.

Fig. 4 is ,a cross-sectional view of the rear or trailing end of theneedle drawn to an enlarged scale, the attaching element of the needlebeing connected with the end ball of a chain.

. Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged side view of the trailing end of theneedle and an attached portion of connecting chain. F Fig. 6 is aperspective representation of a tool adapted for usein applying afastener embodying the invention to a mattress.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which theconnecting element of a fastener may be drawn through a mattress andheld in place until a button may be attached.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional diagram i1- lustrating the end ball of acham and the ]3.WS

proportions, having buttons 21 to serve as protuberances or enlargementsat its oppo-L site ends. The connector may be in the form of a metalchain, and in the preferred form illustrated comprises a series ofhollow balls 22 united by means of intervening links in the form of bars23 extending through openings in the opposite sides of the balls andupset at their ends as at 24, Chains of this character are well known inthe 'art and, except as used in combination with other elements,constitute no part of the invention herein claimed.

Either or both of the buttons at the ends of the connector may beconstructed in accordance with the invention hereinafter to be claimed,so as to be readily attachable by anyone making use of the article as amattress tie or for any other analogous purpose. The attaching meanscomprises a pair of snap fastener elements consisting of a male memberor stud and a female member or socket, of which one element of the pairis a part of the button and the other element a part of the connector,and these sna fa stener elements should be readily flexi le 1n orderthat one may be easily snapped into an engagin relation with the other.In the preferred orm herein disclosed, the back element of the buttoncomprises, as best illustrated'in Fig. 2, a flanged'disk 25 havlnganopening 26 at the center surrounded by res hent jaws 27, which may begradually flared 1nwardly from the portion of the disk surrounding theopening to its inner margin the desired degree of resiliency beingobtained by slitting the material radlally as at 28 from the margin ofthe opening towards the flange of the disk. p

The button may be completed 1n any a propriate manner, as, for example,by t e application of a cap 29 (Fig. 1 and a covering of suitableupholsterin material 30, the edges of which may be c amped, asindicated, between flanges 31 of the back element of the button andflanges 32 of the cap.

When. as herein disclosed, a chain of the ball type is used, the size ofthe opening 26 of the back element of the button and the strength andcurvature of the jaws 27 may be such that it will function as a snapfastener socket for the end ball of the chain which may serve as a snapfastener stud. When so used, the socket will be the resilient elementand the ball will be the relatively ri id element of the fastener.

y properly apportioning the strength, form and dimensions of the socketelement with respect to the ball or stud element, the fastener may bedesigned for use either as a permanent fastener or as a detachablefastener. In Fig. 8, for example, the jaws 27 of the fastener areillustrated as of the approximate size and form as compared with thesize of the ball 22 to permit the ball to be withdrawn by theapplication of a sufficient degree of force. In Fig. 9 the jaws 27' areillustrated as of the approximate size and form as compared with thesize of the ball to be brought into a clamping relationship with theball when pulled outwardly and thus prevent its detachment from thebutton without destroying the parts of the fastener.

If the detachable type of fastener is used, the parts should be of suchrelative strength and form as to resist separation except by theapplication of a force materially greater than that which the tie orconnector is intended to withstand in use.

To apply a mattress tie embodying the invention, one of the buttons maybe attached to one end of the connector, the other end of which may besecured to a needle 33 (Fig. 3) by means of which it may be drawnthrough the mattress. One means of securing the end of the attachingelement to the needle is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Instead of theusual eye, the needle may be provided at its trailing end with anextending portion 34 of reduced diameter, to which may be soldered orotherwise secured the open end of a tubular attaching element 35, theother or free end being closed and of semi-spherical form as indicatedat 36. The end ball 22 of the chain 20 may be inserted in an opening 37and moved into the semi-spherical cavity at the end of the attachingelement, a slot 38 being provided therein to permit the shank whichconnects the two end balls of the chain to be moved into its position ofalignment with the longitudinal axis of the needle.

After the chain 20 has been drawn through the mattress by the needle,the upper surface of the mattress in the vicinity of the chain may bepressed downwardly by means of 9.

tool 39 having a spoon-shaped end portion 40 with upwardly-rolled edges41 adapted to make firm contact with the surface of the mattress withoutcuttin or tearing the material. This tool may %:a so placed, whilepressing the mattress downwardly ,to the desired degree of compressionto expose the end of the chain, as to cause the end balls of the chainto pass freely through a relatively wide portion of a notch 42 in theforked end of the spoon. After two balls of the chain have been pulledabove the upper surface of the tool 39, the tool may be moved forwardlyso as to cause the shank between the second and third balls of the chainto be embraced by the portions of the tool at opposite sides of thenarrow portion of the slot 42, as indicated in Fig. 7. With the end ofthe chain thus firmly held by the tool, the needle may be removed fromthe end ball of the chain and one of the buttons 21 snapped intoengaging relationship therewith, after which the tool may be withdrawn.

If the snap fastener is of the detachable type, its parts should be soproportioned and of such strength that the degree of force necessary toseparate one of the buttons from the end of the chain will be materiallygreater than that which must be sustained by the tie during the normaluse of the mattress.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms hereindisclosed for purposes of illustration, but should be regarded ascoverin modifications and variations thereof wit in the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A mattress or cushion tie comprising a pair ofbuttons and an intervening substantially in extensible metal chain of alength conforming with the'thickness of the mattress or cushion to betied, one of said buttons being connected at one end of said tie bymeans of a pair of snap fastener elements comprising a socket and studof which the former is a part of the button and the latter a part of thelink at one end of the chain, the socket bein sufliciently flexible topermit the button to be snapped over and into an engaging relation withan element of the chain at one end of the tie after the tie has beendrawn through the mattress or cushion, but ofsuch form and strength asto prevent separation when subjected to the stresses incident to normalservice.

2. A mattress or cushion tie comprising a chain of connected metal ballsof a length conforming with the thickness of the mattress or cushion tobe tied and a pair of buttons each having a flexible socket therein of asize and degree of flexibility such that one of said buttons may besecured at each end of the tie by snapping the end balls of the chaininto the sockets of the respective buttons, the sockets being of a formand strength such as to prevent them from being separated from the endsof the chain by the stresses incident to normal service.

3. An upholstered button of the snap fastener type comprising a flangeddisc having a centrally disposed perforation adapted to receive a snapfastener stud element, the material surrounding the perforation beingsep* arated into a plurality of resilient stud-rem taining fingers by apluralitfieof radially disposed slits and the fingers ing curvedinwardly to facilitate the entrance of the stud and oppose itswithdrawal, a cap having an inturned periphery of an internal diameter15 slightly greater than the outer diameter of the flange of the disc, acover of upholstering material overlying the cap and having edges turnedin and clamped between the flange of the disc and the surroundingperipheral 20 portion of the cap.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

' ARTHUR D. PATCHEN.

